David Pitchford
David's fundraiser for MQ Mental Health Research
Fundraising for MQ Mental Health Research
Story
Thank you for stopping by I really appreciate you taking time to read my story and hope that you will make a donation to a extremely important charity.
My Story
1 year ago I lost my Sister-in-law Dee, she was more like a sister to me. Since I met my wife Shauna, Dee was always in my life, we laughed, we cried, we surfed, we skied, we hiked, we drank, we did so much together. She was an amazing woman and she had her own challenges, Dee had a wonderful mind, massively intelligent and confident and also lived with anxiety and depression.
Dee always wanted to Climb Kilimanjaro and had previously done hikes in Machu Picchu and Nepal. Dee had great goals and ambition and sometimes her mental health held her back from doing the things she really wanted. I personally regret not taking the time to just do it with her while she was alive... so I am going to grab these opportunities and just to it.
So this is now why I am climbing a crazy high mountain (6000m) in memory of Dee and all the people who live with mental health. by the way this is double the height I have every been and a have an internal fear of heights that I will have to get over.
My Challenge
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro - a Total 5895M over 6 days and a total distance of 62KM and elevation Gain of 16,000-17,000 feet. If you are on a stepper challenge that is 25,000 steps :-)
My team
I mentioned that I wanted to do this challenge to my friends at work and I am blessed to have some amazing friends who jumped in as soon as they heard about the challenge, Thank you Manal, Adam and Sam for your, Passion, drive and motivation to bring this challenge to light.
My Charity
When I realised the connection between my work charity of the year and my cause, it was a no brainer.
I'm raising funds to support Deutsche Bank's UK Charity of the Year 2022-23, MQ Mental Health Research. MQ is the UKs leading mental health research charity, transforming lives through research and helping to create a future where mental illnesses are understood, effectively treated and one day prevented.